Irish good -- but not good enough

Upset bid crumbles in closing moments against UConn.

Upset bid crumbles in closing moments against UConn.

March 01, 2009|TOM NOIE Tribune Staff Writer

STORRS, Conn. -- Forty minutes of college basketball against one of the country's top men's teams Saturday may ultimately serve as a summary of the last four months for Notre Dame. Good, but just not good enough. Given chances to steal a Big East win against the nation's second-ranked squad, the Irish simply could not come up with enough stops on the defensive end, or make enough shots on the other end against Connecticut. When it was over, the better team was just that when it needed to be in a 72-65 Irish loss at Gampel Pavilion. "It's tough to forget about the looks you had and that they didn't go down," said Irish guard Kyle McAlarney, who had 14 points. "This is probably one of the best teams in the country, and we had them on their home court." It counts as only one league loss, but could have carried the weight of two or three additional wins for Notre Dame's post-season picture. Unable to build off its road success against Providence the previous Saturday, Notre Dame falls to 16-12 overall, 7-9 in the Big East. "It's frustrating," McAlarney said. "If we could get a stop here or a bucket there, we had it." Winners of 17 of its last 18, Connecticut, which likely again moves into the nation's No. 1 spot Monday, improves to 27-2, 15-2. Tory Jackson led four Irish in double figures with 17 points. McAlarney identified a potential problem area some 48 hours before tip-off. For Notre Dame to have a chance against a Connecticut team that can lock down almost anyone, the Irish would have to score. A lot. As the game wore on and the open looks didn't fall, Notre Dame just couldn't produce enough points. Not when the Irish couldn't get it done on defense. "We got stops at times," said Irish coach Mike Brey. "It was hard for us to get two in a row the last six or seven minutes. That hurts you." A McAlarney baseline fade-away put the Irish in prime position to make it interesting -- 57-all -- with 7:49 remaining. Notre Dame then labored the next 4:27 without a field goal, a stretch that included six missed shots, a turnover and far too little of the poise the Irish insist they continue to play with, knowing all that's on the line. From the time Jonathan Peoples hit a baseline jumper with 3:22 remaining to when Craig Austrie sank a free throw with 22.3 seconds left, it was a one-possession game. One shot here, one stop there, and the Irish could have taken a monster step back toward Selection Sunday consideration. Instead, it was the other guys who made plays, while the Irish were left to plan -- yet again -- of doing enough to warrant an at-large NCAA Tournament bid. Time, and chances for wins, may simply be running out for the Irish, who face critical league tests this week at home against Villanova (Monday) and St. John's (Friday). "I'm not disappointed at all at what happened," said Jackson. "Things didn't fall our way, but we're still confident in the team we are." Huskies senior Jeff Adrien, playing his final home game, personified Connecticut's aggressiveness. Adrien hit his first 10 shots from the field and scored a game-high 25 points. Most of those easy looks arrived because Adrien would just drive through the chest of someone in a black jersey near the rim. The Huskies, who shot 53.7 percent, placed four players in double figures. They also blocked 13 shots, including eight by Hasheem Thabeet. At least one observer believed the Irish defense was more than adequate. "It's probably the best defensively I've seen them play," said Huskies coach Jim Calhoun. "I thought they did a good job of crowding us down." Getting out of Gampel with a win for the first time in school history was made an even tougher task after Notre Dame lost senior captain Zach Hillesland. Nursing a sore right hip coming in, Hillesland left with a bruised sternum three minutes into the game. His status Monday is questionable at best. That may open the door for sophomore Tyrone Nash to make his first collegiate start. Nash, who continues to play productive basketball, finished with four points and a career-high nine rebounds in 20 minutes. He also was a physical presence that the Irish have sorely lacked. Nash even dropped the 7-foot-3 Thabeet to the floor while going up strong for a lay-up. "I think he may have hit my elbow trying to block it," Nash insisted. "I was going for a lay-up. I just want to go out there and work hard. That's my job." CONNECTICUT 72, NOTRE DAME 65At Storrs, Conn. NOTRE DAME (16-12): Zach Hillesland 0-1 0-0 0, Luke Harangody 7-18 0-0 14, Tory Jackson 7-14 1-1 17, Kyle McAlarney 6-13 0-0 14, Ryan Ayers 4-12 0-0 11, Ty Nash 2-5 0-4 4, Jonathan Peoples 2-5 0-0 5, Carleton Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Luke Zeller 0-4 0-0 0, Tim Andree 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-72 1-5 65. CONNECTICUT (27-2): Jeff Adrien 11-15 3-6 25, Stanely Robinson 1-6 1-2 3, Hasheem Thabeet 7-13 2-6 16, A.J. Price 4-8 3-4 12, Craig Austrie 1-4 3-4 5, Johnnie Bird 0-0 0-0 0, Kemba Walker 4-7 0-1 8, Scottie Haralson 1-1 0-0 3, Gavin Edwards 0-0 0-0 0, Jim Veronick 0-0 0-0 0, John Lindner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-54 12-23 72. Halftime -- Connecticut 32-30. 3-Point Goals -- Notre Dame 8-27 (Ayers 3-10, Jackson 2-3, McAlarney 2-8, Peoples 1-3, Harangody 0-1, Zeller 0-2), Connecticut 2-8 (Haralson 1-1, Price 1-4, Walker 0-1, Austrie 0-2). Fouled Out -- None. Rebounds -- Notre Dame 37 (Nash 9), Connecticut 39 (Thabeet 11). Assists -- Notre Dame 11 (Jackson 5), Connecticut 15 (Walker 6). Total Fouls -- Notre Dame 17, Connecticut 7. A -- 10,167.

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